Books & Articles Reviews

Selected Books

Proteus Effect: Stem Cells And Their Promise In Medicine
Author: Ann B. Parsons
Joseph Henry Press (September 21, 2004)
301 pages, $24.95
ISBN: 0309089883

The Proteus Effect takes us back 250 years to the very earliest biological inquiry into animal regeneration properties … and then brings us forward in time to the present, stacking up the building blocks of acquired knowledge, experiment by experiment, scientist by scientist, until we find ourselves immersed in the meaning and implications of stem cell science -- from the inside out.
For me, change came in the form of a new certainty in the inevitability of stem cells being developed into therapies for many diseases and disorders. I stopped thinking about the field as a promising “new technology,” and started seeing it as part of a continuum of our human understanding of life's mysterious and marvelous processes. When you find out how we have come this far, you realize how much farther we are bound to go. When more people have the big picture, stem cell science will gain maximum public support to expand and thrive.
The book manages to be both dense with information, and yet, at the same time, suffused with human interest, making it eminently readable by people across all backgrounds. I see it as an invaluable resource for most of us, and a life-changing read for some. 
-Leslie R. Kenney, Director of Public Affairs, National Council on Spinal Cord Injury

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Parkinson's Disease: A Complete Guide for Patients and Families
Authors: William J. Weiner, Lisa M. Shulman and Anthony E. Lang,
Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002
392 pages, $20.95
ISBN: 0-8018-6880-7

Written by leading authorities on movement and neurological disorders, this comprehensive book provides up-to-date information on symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and management of Parkinson's disease to help people cope with medical, emotional, and practical challenges. Texts, illustrations, and tables provide detailed information on the use of medications as well as diet, exercise, and complementary therapies and surgery.

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Bone Marrow and Blood Stem Cell Transplants: A Guide for Patients
Author: Susan K Stewart with Jan Sugar
Blood and Marrow Transplant Information Network; 2002
228 pages, $18
ISBN: 0964735237

Bone Marrow and Blood Stem Cell Transplants: A Guide for Patients is the next generation of Susan K. Stewart's groundbreaking 1992 book, Bone Marrow Transplants: A Book of Basics for Patients. Long awaited by patients and practicioners, this new 228-page book updates information in the original handbook and presents timely information on new topics as well.

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The Human Cloning Debate
3rd edition
Editor: Glenn McGee
Berkeley Hills Books; 2002
320 pages, $15.95
ISBN: 1893163415

The Human Cloning Debate, 3rd Edition, surveys current thinking on the subject, and offers an even wider range of viewpoints than the original edition - scientific, legal, ethical, medical, and religious. The scientific chapter has been updated to take account of stem-cell research and other recent developments. Eight new chapters advance the debate in the areas of ethics, reproductive rights, law, and religion.

Understanding DNA and Gene Cloning: A Guide for the Curious
4th edition
Author: Karl Drlica
John Wiley & Sons; 2004
369 pages, $41.95
ISBN: 0-471-43416-7

Karl Drlica fully explains the basis of the ongoing genetic revolution. He guides you through the science and technology you need to understand the issues and make informed decisions. This text can be used either as a main text in a course where instructors want to use a thematic, case study approach to biology, a non-majors genes or genomics course, or as a supplement for Introductory Biology.

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Selected Press Articles

• The Stem Cell Challenge: About the hurdles between promises of human stem cell therapies and treatments in the clinic. By Robert Lanza and Nadia Rosenthal, Scientific American, June 2004

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Updated: February 2, 2005